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Treasure Tomb

Introduction

Treasure Tomb is a simple game of chance by 1x2 Gaming. Much like in the Indiana Jones movie, the object is to cross a hallway where each step will either bring you more riches or death. There are a variety of ways to be killed, so all due credit to the game designers and artists for creativity.

Rules

 

The following table shows how much the player's Cash Pot will be multiplied by, if he survives the step, according to the color square he steps on.

Multiplier Table

Color Multiplier
Blue 1.25
Green 1.5
Yellow 2
Purple 3
Red 5
 

Strategy

 

It does not matter what color square the player chooses, the house edge is always the same. However, the player should never collect his winnings but always go for the altar or die trying.

Analysis

 

According to the Football1x2.com Treasure Tomb report by the NMi Gambling Commission, the expected return on every bet is 94.79%. In other words, a house edge of 5.21%.

The following table shows the probability of surviving each step, according to the color of the square.

Multiplier Table

Color Multiplier Probability
Survival
Blue 1.25 0.758320
Green 1.5 0.631933
Yellow 2 0.473950
Purple 3 0.315967
Red 5 0.189580
 

By a "bet" I mean every step. However, the 10% bonus by reaching the end lowers that 5.21% house edge. By taking a weighted average, I show that if the player always plays until reaching the end, or dies trying, he will achieve an expected return of 96.09% overall. Interestingly, it does not matter which color squares he chooses.

Outside Links

  • Play starts with the player making a wager, which equals his initial "Cash Pot."
  • The player must then choose one of six squares to step on. They are different colors, representing different levels of danger/reward, as shown in the table below.
  • After choosing a square, the player will either live or die. If he dies, he loses his bet. If he lives, then his Cash Pot is multiplied by the factor for the color of the square he dared step on.
  • Assuming the player lived, he may then choose one of the two or three squares directly ahead of him to step on (two if on the aisle and three otherwise). If the player plays on, he must bet his entire Cash Pot. The player may also chicken out and collect his winnings.
  • The game will go through steps 3 and 4 seven times, unless the player dies or chickens out.
  • If the player makes seven successful steps and reaches the alter, then his winnings will be multiplied by 10%.
  • After reaching the end, the player has the option to go back the other way or collect his Cash Pot. I assume that if he makes it back to where he started, his Cash Pot will be multiplied by 10% again.
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